Humanist (n) – one who supports equality for all humanity no matter how anybody else feels about it

September 30, 2015October 7, 2015

Beauty & Brains

Beauty & brains. It seems that for several generations at least, people typically believe that these 2 are negatively correlated with each other. For example, the prettier you are, the less brains you’ll have, and the more brains the less beauty.

Most people will say: Well that’s not true. I know pretty girls and handsome guys can be just as smart as anyone else.

There are ALWAYS some who differ from the “norm” on an individual level. I’m talking about ona collective level, & on an unconscious level.

Collective Level:

Just consider what happened to Isis Wenger, an engineer at OneLogin, who was the ONLY person to receive criticism for her ad as an employee. The ad campaign was aimed at recruiting more talent & to show the diversity of the company.

Critics threw out statements indicating that she was “too pretty” to be an engineer, and the company was misleading people to recruit more employees.

Yet, Isis is an active employee of OneLogin and works as a software engineer.

There are many other examples of employment biases & confidence in those deemed physically “attractive.” Such as the article at the following link, in which a lady in agricultural sales was blasted by other women for meeting a farmer in his combine in the exact same manner that her male counterparts do on a regular basis.

The article that follows was written by a farmer’s wife in support of the woman’s actions on the job:

I CAN HEAR SOME ALREADY: But you’re pretty, so life isn’t that hard. Really?

That leads me to the SUBCONSCIOUS LEVEL

Employment challenges in certain fields, such as politics, law, tech, engineering, and pretty much all STEM related fields, not due to ability but due to gender stereotypes.

In other industries, “attractive” men & women aren’t taken as seriously as others in many cases, and I’m sure we’re all aware it’s more likely that a pretty woman will be seen as less competent than an attractive man.

Attractive men are often given leadership roles, which we’ve all witnessed at some point I’m sure. Meanwhile, less attractive men, and women of various “appearances” are discriminated. However, a pretty woman who dresses in a FEMININE manner is more likely to be judged as less competent than a less attractive woman in a rigid, business suit & skirt, with her hair in a tight bun or pony tail that HIDES HER FEMININITY.

MASCULINITY is not equivalent to competence.

Women should be able to dress as feminine as they wish, and still receive respect, so long as the way they dress is suitable for their work environment. But that’s not the case, and being considered “attractive” may give you advantages in “dating,” but it’s a hindrance in the workforce for many career paths.

Be honest with yourself at this time. There are biases in the workforce about looks, and ask yourself this: What happens when you add beauty onto another commonly oppressed category, such as being a beautiful Black or Latin or Arab woman? How often are women in these categories, especially the pretty ones, how often are we taken seriously at work or politics?